Hackett picked-up a cheque for e2,768 after finishing alone on 10-under-par, four outside the play-off, in which Chris Hanson beat fellow Englishman Graeme Clark.

After Hanson set the mark on 14-under with a closing 65, Clark landed a birdie on the final hole of his third round 66 to send it to extra holes.

Michael McGeady and Michael Collins both closed with 67 to finish tied fourth on eight-under, one ahead of Ruadhri McGee (66) and John Kelly (68) in a group sharing seventh on seven-under.

smart start by

confident DES

BUOYED by his victory in Holland last Sunday, Des Smyth (above) made a smart start to the Bad Ragaz Senior Open in Switzerland yesterday, claiming a share of 18th place with a first round of two-under-par 68.

Had the Bettystown native's putter been a tad warmer, he might have eased himself a little closer to the top of the leaderboard.

Yet there was no matching Chile's Angel Fernandez as he opened a three-stroke lead on the field with a sensational, bogey-free 61.

Cork's Denis O'Sullivan was tied 29th after a 69, one stroke better than Jimmy Heggarty, while Eddie Polland shot 74.

codd grinds out

72 to make the cut

GUTSY Rebecca Codd squeezed through the cut on the mark at four-over par at the Finnair Masters in Helsinki yesterday.

The Carlow woman had two bogeys and one birdie as she ground-out a 72 in the second round.

Sweden's Caroline Headwall, who followed up her victory at Q-School by winning May's Slovak Open, eased one ahead of Anne-Lise Caudal of France at the top, courtesy of the sweet 65 which left her eight-under entering today's final round.

moriarty four off THE pace

COLM MORIARTY was within four strokes of Olly Whiteley's lead entering the weekend at The Princess by Schuco Championship on Sweden's PGA National course in Bara.

Glasson man Moriarty shot a level-par 72 yesterday for a share of 14th place on three-under par.

Dubliner Niall Kearney missed the cut for the seventh time in eight outings on the Challenge Tour, finishing four ouside the mark on five-over after a second round 74.

CHOI CARDS 64 TO RACE INTO LEAD

KJ Choi shot a six-under par 64 to take the lead on the second day of the the AT&T National Championship at Aronimink GC, Newtown Square, PA.

His sparkling second round effort left him on seven-under-par.

Chris Riley was in second place among the early finishers, a 66 leaving hime on five-under.

Charles Howell III (68) and Bryce Molder (67) were a further shot back on four-under 136.

Overnight leader Adam Scott dropped back slightly when shooting a one-over-par 71 to lie four behind South Korean Choi and alongside Rickie Fowler, who added a 69 to his opening effort of 68.

Australian Scott recorded a four-under-par 66 in the first round which saw only 28 of the 120 competitors managing to break the par of 70 at Aronimink.